Subscription Dog Box 'GoGetMe' Is A Sampler Mix Of Known And New

GoGetMe's subscription dog box arrived in a striking and sturdy yellow tube, topped with a thick rope handle. The side of the tube lists suggestions for the use of the box, including playing tug, storing dog treats and storing human things. I'm not sure I'd want to store human things in a box that smells faintly of dog treats, but GoGetMe is all about trying new things.

What's Inside?

According to their website, GoGetMe selects four to six toys and treats to include in each box based on what you've told them about your dog. They have a drive for quality, aiming to include treats that are made in Australia or New Zealand, minimally processed, organic, grain-free, and made from a single ingredient. Similarly, GoGetMe also claims to pick toys on the basis that they are of a high quality and will last longer than a few hours. They also choose toys that have a focus on stimulation and health, and which are tested and approved by their own dogs.

We told GoGetMe that Boatmeal is a border collie, 11 months old, around 25kg, and an avid lover of kangaroo treats and chewing. The box we received contained two toys, three treats, one hygiene item and three samples.

All For Paws Ultrasonic Delirious Elephant

Image: Lifehacker Australia

I'd heard about this type of toy before, and was very excited to try it out. The squeaker apparently sounds at a frequency too high for human ears but still perceptible to dogs, so your good boy can work on it while you watch a movie or nurse a hangover in peace.

All For Paws' soft pink elephant isn't completely silent, as the displacement of air when it is squeezed still makes a quiet gust. However, it is much quieter than a traditional squeaky toy, and practically unnoticeable in comparison. It's like the difference between the sound of breathing and squawking.

I don't know if Boatmeal could hear a squeak or if he was just particularly receptive to the sound of rushing air, but he was as engaged in this toy as any of his traditionally squeaky toys. The road kill elephant shape fit easily in his mouth, and the plush elephant's ears and trunk gave him interesting flaps to play with. It's of average quality - while not especially tough it is well put together, with good stitching and material that is thick enough to make it a little bit more difficult to gnaw through.

I couldn't find anywhere in Australia that sells this toy, so I'm pretty happy to get it via GoGetMe's box.

A very different type of toy to the elephant, the Nerf Dog Feeder is designed to be stuffed with kibble or treats so your dog can just go to town on it. This feeder is made of sturdy, thick rubber and is easy to stuff, with the opening partially covered by rubber flaps. This also increases the challenge for your pup. Feeders are fairly standard toys, but this is a nice, resilient one in a fairly good size. It's always handy to have several stuffable toys of different shapes and sizes to keep your dog interested and engaged.

This teeth cleaner was small enough that I was concerned when I saw it. Boatmeal is a big boy - in fact, his nickname when he was just eight weeks old was "Big Boy". I was surprised GoGetMe included it, considering that they tailor their box and knew how big he is.

Boatmeal went at it with enthusiasm - it was a kangaroo bone, after all. But it was too small for his powerful jaws, and he crunched it up without much effort. This produced shards, which can be dangerous. It was a fairly good bone, but an inappropriate size.

Kangaroo liver is a pretty standard treat, but one that is always appreciated. The dried liver can easily be snapped into manageable pieces and carried in your pocket, and my dog always loves kangaroo.

These treats came in a fairly large bag. However, closer inspection revealed it was only 50g, which was disappointing. In fact, I mistook it for a sample bag rather than a main component of the box.

Despite GoGetMe's proclaimed preference for unprocessed treats, we could tell these fillets were processed just touching them. The labelling is slightly misleading as it isn't 100 per cent kangaroo meat, also containing ingredients such as potato and tapioca starch, treacle, and pea fibre. Considering GoGetMe's pride in providing unprocessed, single ingredient treats, I'd expected to receive items such as dried ligaments and jerky.

Still, it is grain free, Australian made, and contains only a single protein - kangaroo meat. Boatmeal very much enjoyed this treat, going at it with significant enthusiasm.

This small sample pack of fish is more in line with what I'd pictured, being comprised solely of fish skins. Boatmeal was fairly interested when we opened the pack, consenting to doing a series of tricks for the treat, then immediately taking it to his crate once it was relinquished, playing with it before crunching it down. It's a good size and dry, so easily pocketed to be taken for a walk. Still, it's a sample pack rather than a feature of the box, and contains only four pieces.

These treats contain both tripe and lamb, going against GoGetMe's stated aim of providing only single protein treats. It's only a sample though, so perhaps because they were considering it a small bonus rather than part of the box proper they didn't apply their usual quality standard. Boatmeal ate these treats happily, but I think he preferred the kangaroo fillets.

This sample product was also found in the So Fetch subscription dog box we previously reviewed. As noted in that review, though the conditioner did soften his fur slightly, the sample was too small to wash Boatmeal with.

This is just a standard roll of poo bags. Like toilet paper, they're always handy to have. These particular bags are biodegradable, which is a plus - I hate the thought of little bags of doggy poo still being around when Jesus returns.

Available Boxes

Image: Lifehacker Australia

$49 per month for a month to month subscription

$44 per month for a three month subscription

$41 per month for a six month subscription

$39 per month for a 12 month subscription

When choosing a subscription you are prompted to select the size of your dog as well. You will also be asked a few questions about your dog. All GoGetMe boxes come with free delivery.

Charity Support

GoGetMe donates 10 per cent of all profits to Australian charity Dogs For Kids With Disabilities, which provides assistance and companion dogs to disabled children.

Overall Impression

More Subscription Dog Box Reviews

GoGetMe aimed to provide a mix of new things to try with guaranteed hits. We told them that Boatmeal liked kangaroo, and boy did we get kangaroo, with all three full-sized treats provided being comprised of the meat. However, the sample bags did not contain kangaroo, allowing us to try different things without being stuck with a whole bag if Boatmeal didn't like them.

The toys also provided something new - the ultrasonic squeaker made the elephant plush less standard, while toys such as the Nerf feeder are tried and true classics.

I would have appreciated it if they'd replaced at least one of the treats with a larger bag. The treats in the box feel slightly underwhelming, particularly as both WAG treats were so small. The samples do work to fill the box out a bit, but I dislike counting free samples as components in a dog box rather than bonuses.

However, it certainly felt as though GoGetMe had taken what I had told them about my dog and tailored my delivery accordingly. And as a bonus, they had the most impressive packaging of all the dog boxes we tried, which reinforced the feeling that this was a thoughtful, carefully chosen selection.

GoGetMe is a good subscription dog box option if you're concerned you might not like whatever mystery products show up at your door every month, but still want to try something new.

Update 4:10PM: GoGetMe informed us in an email that we mistakenly referred to one of the treats as a sample, when it was in fact a feature of the box. This article has been updated accordingly.

We are trying out subscription dog box services in Australia, assisted by Very Good Boy Boatmeal. Read all our reviews here.

Comments

Alyce Guest

May 25, 2018, 10:16am

Hey! I’ve now read all of your reviews of the different dog boxes. It’s been super helpful!

I’m about to adopt a dog, and as a first time owner I’m understandably nervous. I was thinking about subscribing to a dog box as a way of fleshing out my pups toy arsonal as well as learning what kind of treats they might like.

After reading all the reviews, I was wondering which of the boxes you would be most likely to continue with for Boatmeal? (Who is, by the way, adorable.)

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